Strong Interest in Energy Transition

People have a strong interest in switching to clean energy and letting go of fossil energy. This strong interest must be met with improved strategies.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A bike rider changes its bike's battery in a station, at Gandaria, South Jakarta, September 2022.

A telephone poll of 502 respondents randomly distributed in 34 provinces by the Research and Development Division of Kompas on 16-19 September 2022 showed that 59.9 percent of respondents were interested in switching to clean energy from fossil fuel-based energy.

The public is also familiar with various renewable-energy sources. A significant percentage of respondents knew of wind power as a source of renewable energy (65.5 percent), hydropower (60.7 percent) and bioenergy (60.7 percent) (Kompas, 20/10/2022).

A smooth energy transition will also save people expenses.

This phenomenon is encouraging because Indonesia has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 29 percent by 2030 and a net-zero emissions target by 2060.

Besides enabling Indonesia to make a major contribution to saving the Earth from global warming, a smooth energy transition will also save people expenses.

The findings from Kompas daily data journalism confirm that electric motorcycle users can save up to millions of rupiah in expenses in five years compared to the expenses incurred by oil-fuelled ones in the same time span. In addition to being affordable, the operational cost of electric motorcycles is also low. Electric cars also save, although not as significantly as electric motorcycles.

At least 233 business and industrial customers in Indonesia have purchased electricity from renewable energy

The participation of companies using clean energy also continues to increase. Data show that at least 233 business and industrial customers in Indonesia have purchased electricity from renewable energy, amounting to 1 terawatt hour.

The interest of the public and corporations in making the clean energy switch is a positive sentiment and needs to be responded to appropriately and with the correct strategy by the government. Not too slow; not too fast.

WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

A prototype of solar generated energy car, developed by students of SMK Ma’arif NU 1 Sumpiuh, Banyumas, Central Java, in 2019.

What happened in China can be used as a lesson. In the midst of China's efforts to boost the use of green energy by investing a lot in the use of wind- and solar-energy sources, China is now planning to boost coal production until 2025 to avoid electricity shortage incidents like last year.

This policy was made because renewable energy sources cannot be relied upon due to their high dependence on weather conditions. The summer season causes the reservoirs to dry up and produce insufficient electrical energy, resulting in blackouts in several areas.

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> Companies Eye Clean Energy Transition

Recent geopolitical changes have caused the benchmark coal price to continue to rise since the beginning of the year and it is anticipated that this situation will last for a long time.

A holistic strategy, from the transition process and regulation to the right incentive scheme for consumers and the industry, will ensure that the ecosystem is also well developed. In addition, this can aid the energy transition in running optimally; in the end, the abundant new and renewable energy in this country can develop rapidly.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.